Feast of the Epiphany

On this first day of the week and the first Sunday of the civil New Year we celebrate the Lord’s Day! Each week we have the joy of celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ who is our life and our hope! This Sunday we commemorate the Feast of the EPIPHANY, also known as THEOPHANY. The words mean, “manifestation” and “manifestation of God.” Traditionally the Epiphany is the 6th of January, which is the 12th day of Christmas. With the liturgical reforms made by the Second Vatican Council this feast is transferred to the nearest Sunday to allow more of the faithful to participate in it.

For the Church of the West the feast of Epiphany has three commemorations: (1) the Visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, (2) Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan and (3) the First Miracle at the Wedding in Cana of Galilee. For the Church of the East the feast of the Epiphany only commemorates the Baptism of Our Lord in the Jordan. Again, with the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council we now commemorate the Visit of the Magi at Epiphany. The Feast of the Lord’s Baptism takes place on the Sunday following Epiphany and the commemoration of the Lord’s first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee in observed on the Sunday following the Lord’s Baptism only in Year C of the lectionary. This year we will commemorate it!

Epiphany is a great celebration in many Christian cultures. I know in my own Eastern European heritage this was the time when the priest would visit and bless the homes of parishioners. As a boy we always looked forward to the priest coming to our home. My parents told us of how honored we should be that the priest came to the house and blessed it. Since I was a altar boy, we used to go with the priest after school to bless homes and looked forward to the “tip” the parishioners would give us for coming with the priest to bless their home. Unfortunately, things have changed!

Today we provide for you a copy of a short prayer service you can do at home. You will also find a piece of blessed chalk which you can take home to inscribe the initials of the Magi on the door post over the main entrance of your home (K+M+B+2016). You may want to wait till next Sunday to do the prayer service so that you can take home with you some blessed water which will be available at Mass next Sunday. Water will be blessed at all Masses to celebrate the feast of the Lord’s Baptism in the Jordan River by John. This rite is yet another wonderful opportunity to gather as a family to pray and thus truly make your home “a domestic church.”